Nature v. Nurture Intelligence

Sir Frances Galton

He suggested that intellectual differences are due to genetics.

What is the misconception about intelligence and socioeconomic background according to Arthur Jensen?

He claimed that 80% of intelligence is based on genetics, which is not true.

What is the impact of the Head Start program on children's education?

It results in fewer children being placed in special education, fewer being held back, and significant gains in schoolwork, although gains level off by 4th grade according to Jensen.

What factors can impact intelligence according to environmentalists?

• Parental nutrition

• Stimulating environments

• Social acceptance in school
  
  Can impact intelligence by approximately 20 points.

Skeels Study

Children in a STIMULATING ENVIRONMENT had an average IQ of 92, compared to 64.3 in a boring environment.

What does the Flynn Study indicate about IQ over time?

It shows that IQ can INCREASE by 5-25 points (average: 15 points) over a thirty-year period

• Due to better nutrition and a stimulating environment.

What are the arguments against Jensen's heredity ratios?

Heredity ratios are…

• Not fixed

• Cannot be applied to individuals

• Do not account for discrimination, poor schooling, and racism.

What is the self-fulfilling prophecy as demonstrated by Rosenthal and Jacobson?

Students perform according to the expectations set by teachers

• Leads to BETTER outcomes for those labeled as 'smart'

• Leads to WORSE outcomes for those labeled as ‘slow’

What was the significance of Sir Cyril Burt's study on identical twins?

It suggested a high correlation in IQs (.87) despite being raised in different socio-economic environments, but is considered a fraudulent experiment.

What are the IQ correlations for identical and fraternal twins?

Identical twins reared together have an IQ correlation of 0.86, while fraternal twins reared together have a correlation of 0.53.

Correlation between family size/birth order and IQ

According to an evaluation of all of the men drafted into the Swedish army during WWII,

1) IQ DECLINES w/ birth order

2) The smaller a family is, the more SMARTER the children will be

This is NOT true—may appear to be like this because:

• Older siblings have more PRESSURE to succeed

Three Aims of Intelligence Tests

Measures

1) Rate of learning

2) Quantity of past learning

3) Quality of present learning skills

What do IQ tests NOT measure?

Does not predict:

• HOW WELL someone will do in school

• Their motivation

• The potential to raise their IQ

• The environment they were raised in

Alfred Binet’s Test

Developed the test to predict which students would need special education, aiming to eliminate teacher biases.
Stanford-Binet Test: Assesses intelligence

What is the formula for calculating IQ according to William Stern?

IQ = (Mental Ability / Chronological Age) x 100.

What are the differences between Alpha IQ and Beta IQ?

Alpha IQ: Verbal intelligence

Beta IQ: Performance intelligence

Bayley Scales of Infant Development

It measures different types of skills in infants aged 42 months to 3.5 years

• Has low correlation with predicting later IQ.

Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory Test

It is a personality test with 560 questions designed to identify personality disorders, featuring a built-in lie detector (repeats questions)

What is the impact of culture on GENDER DIFFERENCES in intelligence?

Cultural stereotypes influence performance

• Girls excel in verbal and detail-oriented tasks

• Boys excel spatial and numerical abilities

Intellectual Developmental Disability

Having an IQ of 70 or lower

• Affects ability to perform tasks such as talking and dressing independently

• Affects 1-2% of the population

What are the probabilities of Down Syndrome based on maternal age?

1 in 2,000 births for mothers aged 20, 1 in 105 for mothers aged 35, and 1 in 12 for mothers in their mid-40s.

Parenting Styles

Authoritarian: Tells the child WHAT to think

Authoritative: Tells the child HOW to think (Best for intelligence)

Laissez-Faire: Hands off approach to parenting

Rorschach Inkblot Method

Test-taker is asked to look/describe INKBLOTS

• High reliability

• Low predictive power

Thematics Apperception Test (TAT)

Vague black-and-white drawings of figures

• Test-taker is asked to make up a story about the picture

• Useful in revealing things that the patient is UNWILLING/UNABLE to tell

Pitfalls of IQ Tests

1. CULTURAL BIAS of IQ tests

2. Socioeconomic background

3. Genetic differences

4. Discrimination, poverty, poor/ineffective schools

5. Inability to define intelligence